David Skudder was born in Long Island, New York. His father was a hard-working foundry employee, and his mother was a stay-at-home retired public school teacher. His parents’ moderate financial situation instilled in him a strong work ethic. David began working odd jobs before he was in high school. He was always on the move – dispensing newspapers, mowing lawns, and providing a bicycle delivery service for the local butcher shop. 

He attended the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech University, earning his bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics. Following that, he dove headfirst into the industry, taking a job with Continental Grain Company. Now known as ContiGroup, it has grown into a multinational corporation with offices and locations in 10 countries. Throughout his time with the company, David immersed himself in the global grain and oilseed production and trading industry, learning skills that would benefit him for the rest of his career.

David Skudder moved to Memphis, Tennessee, to work as an Intermediary with Grain Services, Inc. In this position, David provided transactional assistance in the physical grain sector. David spent his time focused on the barge corn and wheat markets. David next worked for Bruce Oakley, Inc., a medium-size grain and fertilizer firm in North Little Rock, Arkansas. While David was there, he managed grain assets and merchandising operations. Returning to Memphis, David assisted commercial grain and livestock companies in an advisory capacity.